1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a cervical traction device which is positioned under the neck of a patient lying on a flat surface between the shoulders and the head and which has an inflatable bellows located between a shoulder portion and a head portion of the cervical traction device. A hand operated bulb type air pump with a manually operated air pressure relief valve is connected to the bellows for manually expanding and contracting the inflatable portion thereby to stretch the neck and release the stretching force on the neck.
2. Description of the Related Art Including Information Disclosed Under 37 CFR .sctn.1.97-1.99
Heretofore it has been proposed to provide a traction pillow and an inflatable cervical traction pillow.
Examples of such pillows are disclosed in the following two U.S. Patents:
______________________________________ U.S. Pat. No. Patentee ______________________________________ 4,832,007 Davis, Jr. et al. 4,805,603 Cumberland ______________________________________
In U.S. Pat. No. 4,832,007 to Davis, Jr. et al. there is disclosed a traction pillow and method for using same. The pillow is made of resilient material and has a generally rotatable portion (cervical roll) for supporting the cervical region of a user. The cervical pillow has cavities therein which enable a medical technician to collapse the pillow by pressing down on it while the patient's neck is resting on the pillow.
In the Cumberland U.S. Pat. No. 4,805,603 there is disclosed a cervical traction apparatus comprising a head/neck/shoulder support unit having a vertical slot in the region corresponding to the cervical area. The slot separates the unit into a first section and a second section. The upper surfaces of each of the sections is shaped to receive the head, neck and shoulders of a reclining person. An inflatable air sack is located within the unit between the first and second sections and a hand operated bulb type air pump is provided for pumping up the air sack.
As will be described in greater detail herein after the present invention provides a specially contoured shoulder portion and a specially contoured head portion which are contoured in a different manner than the contours of the traction pillow and cervical traction pillow of the Davis Jr., et al. and Cumberland patents referred to above. More specifically, an arcuate shoulder seating surface is provided which seats on and against the upper or center portion of each shoulder and over and against the front chest portion of each shoulder; and, the head portion has a U-shaped surface and a head receiving surface with a shoulder being formed on each side of the U at the junction of the U-shaped surface and the head receiving surface for engaging the patient's occipital bone to enable the cervical traction device to exert pressure on the head to exert traction on the neck. Furthermore, instead of an air sack, a bellows is provided which extends substantially completely across the transverse extent of the cervical traction device. Still further, a head strap is provided together with attachment structure for attaching the head strap over a patient's head to the head portion to firmly hold the patient's head to the head portion of the cervical traction device thereby, in conjunction with the shoulder acting against the occipital, enhancing the gripping or holding of the patient's head to the head portion.